From weight limitations, to favorite potholes, to rail and ports, bikes and buses, from the DMV and Real ID to the State Patrol, Jerry Deschane, the League’s Executive Director and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation Secretary-Designee Craig Thompson talk about all things transportation on the League’s Local Perspective.

Secretary Thompson and Jerry also talk about unmet infrastructure needs. Thanks to the Legislature and the Governor, the state funded a one-time, $75 million, Multimodal Local Supplement (MLS) program in the 2019-2021 budget. Local governments - counties, cities, villages and towns submitted more than 1,500 grant applications with more than $1.4 billion in project funding requests. That's $1.4 BILLION.

As the Secretary says, what struck him about the MLS applications is "How important each and every project was to that community."

Thanks to Wisconsin Community Media for their partnership in broadcasting the League's Local Perspective statewide and specifically to the team at FACTv in Fitchubrg for this month's show.

With Errin Welty, Downtown Development Program Manager with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC). As Errin says, downtowns are not competing with the town next door anymore, they’re competing with a couch and Netflix. Listen here or subscribe on your favorite platform...

Your REAL ID & DMV Stats - LocalGovMatters 2.0

In accordance with the federal REAL ID Act of 2005, if you plan to fly within the United States, visit a military base or any other federal buildings, the Department of Homeland Security will require identification that is REAL ID compliant (or show another acceptable form of identification, such as a passport) beginning October 1, 2020. The Wisconsin Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) issues these REAL ID compliant products.

We talk with Kristina Boardman, Administrator of the Wisconsin DMV and learn more about the history of REAL ID, why it is important and what citizens need to do to
get their REAL ID by October 1, 2020.
Listen here or subscribe on your favorite podcast app.

Additional Transportation Resources

"Back of the Napkin Asset Management" - Want to see if your current rehabilitation and replacement program is likely to be adequate to maintain your assets? Read the article in the League's
June 2019 The Municipality magazine online. It's by Ben Jordan, Director of the Transportation Information Center and is on page 10. Ben also teaches the
League's Local Gov 101 Workshop segment on infrastructure.

"Maintaining and modernizing our transportation infrastructure costs money. And with projects sometimes taking decades from conception to completion, transportation investment requires a long planning horizon and the balancing of today’s priorities with the mobility needs of tomorrow. This requisite long-term vision is hard to reconcile with a state budgetary system that marks time in two-year increments.

But this is something Wisconsin needs to tackle as the price of poor infrastructure and the acceptance of the status quo is too high. Aging infrastructure is a drag on the economy – a hidden tax – that is not as easily quantifiable as the cost of needed improvements."
AboutTIME newsletter provided by the
Transportation Development Association of Wisconsin (TDA)

Drivers Shaking With Anger Because of Bumpy Roads

He was one of more than 60 people who filled the library at Pecatonica High School Monday night for a community meeting titled, “Rough Roads in Southwest Wisconsin: A Community Discussion.”

Ashley has one of the largest private fleets in the industry, with more than 900 tractors and 3,700 trailers. According to the ADS website, the fleet travels the equivalent of 160 trips to the moon and back in a typical year.

By Crista M. Cuccaro, Assistant City Attorney, Durham, North Carolina. This article was published in the September-October 2019 Municipal Lawyer by the International Municipal Lawyers Association (IMLA) and is reprinted with IMLA’s permission.
Read the full article with footnotes. (PDF)

"This month, we explore another wage and hour issue that is frequently misunderstood, and that is the meaning of “regular rate of pay” as applied to the calculation of overtime wages for non-exempt employees."

Get the word out! Please share this and other videos from the
US Census YouTube Channel to your and/or your municipality's social media.

REMINDER- If you received an email from us last week regarding the
Wisconsin City/County Management Association's diversity survey, this is your friendly reminder. Please help and fill out the survey. It will take you only about 15 minutes. The
deadline is March 2! Click
here to take the survey now.

Save the Date for the League's 122nd Conference!

October 7-9, 2020 in La Crosse.

Can't attend the League's 2019 Local Government 101 Workshops? Order the DVDs!

The four DVD set includes the entire one-day workshop for you to watch on your own schedule!

• Welcome - Basics of the League

• Organization & Powers of Cities and Villages

• Recognizing and Avoiding Conflicts of Interest

• Budgeting & Financial Oversight

• Procedures for Local Government Meetings

• Managing Public Works Activities

The League’s Local Government 101 Workshop provides a basic framework for governing to both new city and village officials and those who want to brush up on their knowledge of local governance.

This League DVD set provides information that you need to govern. You will learn about city and village powers including municipal home rule; learn about how to recognize and avoid conflicts of interest; review the basics of municipal budgeting as well as how to run a meeting; and finish with an overview on managing public works projects. In addition, you’ll learn the answer to that age-old question, “What is a walking quorum anyway?”

The accompanying workbook, which is included with the DVD set, can be ordered on a flash drive or in print. It provides you with the presentations and supporting materials that are provided to all workshop participants. You can order it here: https://lwm-info.org/763/Order-Handbooks-Annual-Publications

Revised League Handbook for Wisconsin Police and Fire Commissioners

These completely revised League Police and Fire Commission Handbooks have been flying off the shelves. If you have a Police and Fire Commission in your community, you will want at least one of these and maybe even one for each Commissioner.

Learn how to avoid situations and behaviors that are most likely to land municipalities in hot water. The most common problem areas involve land use decisions, open meetings law violations and human resources.

Municipal officials and staff with years of experience attending Local Government 101 may find themselves sitting next to elected officials and staff who are brand-new to government. In this popular one-day workshop you’ll learn about city and village powers including municipal home rule, hear about how to recognize and avoid conflicts of interest, go home with a quick tutorial on municipal budgeting as well as how to run a meeting and finish with an overview on managing public works projects. In addition, you’ll have that age-old question answered: “What is a walking quorum anyway?”